Masterpiece's 'Breathless' To Bring 'Smash' And 'Downton Abbey' Stars Together

NEW YORK — "Masterpiece" is prescribing a new drama set in a London hospital in the early 1960s.

The series, "Breathless," will put medical practice at the brink of the tumultuous `60s. Set in a busy gynecology unit, it inhabits a world where abortion is illegal and the new contraceptive pill is only available to married women.

Premiering on "Masterpiece" in 2014, "Breathless" was announced Thursday by co-producers PBS/WGBH and ITV Studios.

The series will star Jack Davenport, most recently seen on the NBC series "Smash." Other cast members include Zoe Boyle and Iain Glen from "Downton Abbey."